The latest articles on DEV Community by EJ Salga (@ej_salga_af7c7ffbf288c3d7). https://dev.to/ej_salga_af7c7ffbf288c3d7 https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3440583%2F7d79e486-8298-4025-b82a-4850871b6054.jpg https://dev.to/ej_salga_af7c7ffbf288c3d7 en EJ Salga Wed, 20 Aug 2025 14:58:37 +0000 https://dev.to/ej_salga_af7c7ffbf288c3d7/how-do-i-separate-myself-from-most-entry-level-devs-20m0 https://dev.to/ej_salga_af7c7ffbf288c3d7/how-do-i-separate-myself-from-most-entry-level-devs-20m0 <p>I’m taking a gap year and my goal is to get a junior back-end position. I recently completed the <strong>CodeCademy Back-end Developer Course</strong>. </p> <p>To find out the standards for a back-end developer, I read stories and articles and what I commonly found were:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Active GitHub profile</strong> (daily commits) </li> <li> <strong>Well-structured and documented programs</strong> (modular &amp; uses Swagger Docs) </li> <li> <strong>Projects that are specific to my skill set</strong> (back-end would be APIs, server-side logic, databases, etc.) </li> </ul> <p>To implement this, I've planned out my year:</p> <ol> <li>Weekly mini-tasks to strengthen back-end skills </li> <li>Midyear project which compiles skills learned </li> <li>A capstone project </li> <li>Job prep for internships/junior position </li> </ol> <p>This is a fairly simple plan and I would love to hear input &amp; feedback from the community about this plan. </p> <p>👉 What other standards stuck with you that helped you get the job?<br><br> Any stories, tips, or help is much appreciated.</p>